Lee Westwood has defended his decision not to play in golf’s unofficial fifth major at the Players Championship and criticised PGA Tour members for not coming over to Europe.
The British world number one finished joint fourth last year at one of the sport’s most lucrative events and his decision will not please the PGA Tour, which would want the world’s top-ranked player in the elite Sawgrass field.
“I am not a member of the PGA Tour so I don’t need to play the event,” Westwood told Reuters after posting a three-under-par 69 in the Abu Dhabi Championship first round on Thursday.
“After the two opening World Golf Championships (events) I would bracket our (European Tour) PGA Championship in May as just as important as it offers exemption for anybody in the world’s top 50 to play,” he added.
“I don’t see many of them (Americans) wanting to take up that offer. So you can’t really please everyone, can you?”
A non-PGA Tour member is entitled to accept three invitations, and if he is inside the top-50 in the world rankings, can contest the Players Championship.
Westwood has accepted invitations to play the Honda Classic in March, the Houston Open the week before the year’s first major at the US Masters in April, and the St. Jude Championship in June where he is the defending champion.
The Englishman will also play three events in a row starting with the Feb. 23-27 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, the Honda Classic and the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
“Even with an invite I would not be able to prepare properly and that’s not the way to go into a big event like the Players,” added the 37-year-old Englishman.
“I can understand what the PGA Tour might feel about my decision and they have every right to think that.”
Westwood intends to take a week’s break when the Players tournament commences on May 12 at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida.
“I wouldn’t want to be playing in the Players Championship given that I wouldn’t have played since the Masters in early April,” he said.
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